Music & Magic
by Singing Alice
Summary: Mikan is a fourteen year old girl who loves singing and playing musical instruments. One day her mum enrols her at the elite school- Academy Alice.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

**Mikan Sakura POV**

Today was…well…I can't explain it, but let's just go over what happened so far today…

* Flash Back *

"Mikan, it's time to wake up!" my mum yelled, as she rushed around the house trying to get ready for work. I glanced at the alarm clock- it read '6:49'. I tried to remember why today was so important, as I sat up and folded back my sheets. That was when I remembered. Today's the day I'm leaving this house for good.

You see, mum had enrolled me in one of the most prestigious schools around- Alice Academy. It was extremely hard to get into and mum had to pull a lot of strings to get me in. The only thing is, although Alice Academy gives the best education in practically the whole world, the students aren't allowed to leave the grounds once they enter. Harsh, I know- come to think of it, I don't even know why that is.

"Crap, I'm gonna be late", I groaned. I rushed to get dressed. I had to wear the school uniform for most of my time there, so of course that was what I was wearing. I raced downstairs to brush my teeth, tripping over various obstacles on my way to the bathroom. Once I had finished that, I went to my room again and grabbed my suitcase and school bag. I had made sure to pack them the day before- thank goodness.

I gave my room one last look over. I was going to miss this house. I had lived here since I was born, so of course I'd miss it here. After I was done, I went back downstairs once again. Mum was waiting at the door, an impatient look on her face. "Sorry!" I told her as we rushed to put my bags in the back of the car. "Missed the alarm again, huh?" she said. She looked like she was going to say something else, but instead smiled. "You are going to love this school, trust me" she said, still smiling. _Not like I have much of a choice_, I thought to myself. But instead of voicing my opinion, I smiled back at her.

For the rest of the car trip we just sat there quietly. It was usually like this- my mum wasn't the talkative type. I liked it though. The atmosphere was peaceful and it was enough just to be with my mum, for the last time I had left with her.

When we arrived at the gates mum informed me that she wasn't even allowed in with me. "WHAT!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. I couldn't believe that she wasn't even allowed in. I hugged her really tightly. "Don't worry Mikan. We'll see each other again in the future" she said- even though there were tears in her eyes. I started crying again. I really wouldn't see my mum again after this. Even though we didn't talk much, we were still mother and daughter. I was going to miss her heaps. The guard at the gate was getting impatient, however, so we unwillingly broke our hug. Mum helped me get my last bag out of the back of the car and gave me one last smile, before she got in the car and drove away.

I looked up at the huge gates of Alice Academy. _This better be worth it…_The guard looked at her and sighed before opening the gate to let me in. "Welcome miss" he said in a monotone. "Thanks" I muttered back- trying to be polite. Mum really hadn't given me a choice. I didn't even know how I'd gotten into an elite school like this. I wasn't good at academics. I was a fast runner, but I doubt I could get in on that. Oh, and I loved singing and playing instruments- especially guitar and piano…but I don't think this school is musically based.

While I had been thinking, I hadn't noticed that my feet had carried me down the path to the administrative building. I DID notice however when I slammed into something and got knocked to the ground. I put my hand on the ground to lift myself up- I was clumsy, so I was used to falling over. But what surprised me was when my hand hit something soft. _Hmm…since when is the ground soft…?_ I looked down to see what it was and I gasped. I hadn't slammed into SOMETHING. It was a person- a boy. Correction: an extremely handsome boy. I quickly back away, off of him. "S-sorry" I stammered out.

He ran his hand through his raven locks and smirked. His crimson orbs looked right at me and my breath caught. I suddenly realised he was wearing the middle school uniform too. "You should watch where you're going, Polka-dots" he said casually. He had a really cool voice as well and- wait…polka…dots…?

3…

2…

1…

"PERVERT!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. He just smirked again. "Well, I have to go. See you 'round, polka" his smirk stayed on his face as he walked the opposite way from me. I was still fuming. _How DARE he look at my underwear?_ It didn't matter to me anymore how he looked or sounded. The stupid perverted bastard. I took three deep breaths and counted to ten. There, I felt much better now. Besides, I probably wouldn't see him again for a long time in a school this big.

I continued on my way down the path until I reached the big, yet plain white building that was the admin office. I walked in through the door and waited in-front of the front desk until a pretty young woman with long curly black hair and deep blue eyes came up to it- she looked to be around 20 years old. The woman smiled at me warmly. "Let me take it you're Sakura Mikan?" she asked politely. "Yes, that's me" I replied brightly. "Okay, you can call me Kanari" she said to me politely. "And you can call me Mikan" I said back. "Okay, Mikan-chan" I smiled at her "I'm here to show you to your room. You will start your classes in one hour." She said to me.

We arrived outside the door to my new room about ten minutes later, after she signed some paper work and led me through the halls to the middle school dorm. "We're here" she said happily. "I have to go back now, but I hope I see you around, Mikan-chan" she started walking away. "Okay! Thanks, Kanari-san!" I called after her. Now I was alone again. I took a deep breath and opened the door to my room- where I'd be living for the next few years of my life. I gasped when I walked in. The room was huge. There was a massive bed directly in front of me; the kitchen was to the right of me, along with a door that led to a huge en-suite. On my left was a walk-in closet that was also huge, and inside the closet was a dresser where I could put my accessories and make-up. I walked back out of the closet and noticed a bookcase with a desk next to it. On the desk were a laptop and some stationary stuff. _This room is awesome… _I thought to myself in awe.

I looked up at the clock. It read '8:50' which meant I now had ten minutes to get to class in. I grabbed my timetable and looked at the map. Kanari-san had marked on the map where I was supposed to go. She had told me to go to the teacher's staffroom first to meet my teacher and so they could introduce me to the class, so that was where I headed. I knocked on the staffroom door. Knock, knock. The door opened and a man with blonde hair and blue-purple eyes stood there. "Ah" he said happily "you must be Mikan-chan." I must have looked confused- which I was- because he added "I'm Narumi, your new teacher" he said cheerfully. _This guy's weird…_I thought secretly.

Narumi-sensei walked me to the door of the classroom and told me to wait for his signal. I looked in through the window and saw that the classroom was now full. That was when I saw Narumi-sensei gesture towards the door. I opened it up and walked in, feeling everyone staring at me. I heard some whispers coming from the class, something about 'Alice'. I brushed it off, assuming they were talking about the academy. I faced the class and Narumi-sensei asked me to introduce myself. "Hi" I said with a huge smile. "I'm Mikan Sakura; it's a pleasure to meet all of you". I wrote my name on the blackboard. From the corner of my eye I saw Narumi-sensei look around. "Mikan-chan, if you would like to take your seat over there next to Natsume-kun".

I smiled up at the teacher and walked down the aisle between desks to sit down beside the person called Natsume-kun. I turned around, about to say hi, when I looked straight into a pair of VERY familiar crimson eyes. I had to stop myself from screaming 'pervert' at the top of my lungs again. "Y-You…" I trailed off, trying to control the anger rising up inside of me. He smirked at me. That didn't help at all. I counted to ten in my head and focused all my attention on the teacher for the rest of the lesson, not paying any attention at all on the boy next to me.

When all our lessons for the end of the day were over, I walked back to my room and dumped my bag on the floor, getting out my song book. I went into my closet where I had hidden my guitar and went to the window. There was a tree next to the window- perfect. I put my song book in my pocket and swung the guitar over my shoulder. After opening the window I grabbed one of the tree branches and swung onto it. I reached for the one below so I could get down, but I didn't get a tight enough grip, and down I fell.I hit the ground with a thud and felt sharp pain on my legs and arms. I looked at them and flexed them slowly; noticing small scrapes over both of them. I had injured myself worse than this before however, so I shrugged it off and stood up, heading to find a place to practise.

I soon arrived at a beautiful sakura tree and sat down beside it. Leaning against the trunk of the tree, I pulled my song book out of my pocket and got my guitar out of its case. I started singing a song that I'd written a few days ago…

**The Best Day- Taylor Swift**

_I'm five years old, it's getting cold, I've got my big coat on  
>I hear your laugh and look up smiling at you, I run and run<br>Past the pumpkin patch and the tractor rides, look now, the sky is gold  
>I hug your legs and fall asleep on the way home<em>

_I don't know why all the trees change in the fall_  
><em>But I know you're not scared of anything at all<em>  
><em>Don't know if Snow White's house is near or far away<em>  
><em>But I know I had the best day with you today<em>

_I'm thirteen now and don't know how my friends could be so mean_  
><em>I come home crying and you hold me tight and grab the keys<em>  
><em>And we drive and drive until we found a town far enough away<em>  
><em>And we talk and window shop 'til I've forgotten all their names<em>

_I don't know who I'm gonna talk to now at school_  
><em>But I know I'm laughing on the car ride home with you<em>  
><em>Don't know how long it's gonna take to feel okay<em>  
><em>But I know I had the best day with you today<em>

_I have an excellent father, his strength is making me stronger_  
><em>God smiles on my little brother, inside and out, he's better than I am<em>  
><em>I grew up in a pretty house and I had space to run<em>  
><em>And I had the best days with you<em>

_There is a video I found from back when I was three_  
><em>You set up a paint set in the kitchen and you're talking to me<em>  
><em>It's the age of princesses and pirate ships and the seven dwarfs<em>  
><em>And Daddy's smart and you're the prettiest lady in the whole wide world<em>

_And now I know why the all the trees change in the fall_  
><em>I know you were on my side even when I was wrong<em>  
><em>And I love you for giving me your eyes<em>  
><em>For staying back and watching me shine<em>  
><em>And I didn't know if you knew, so I'm takin' this chance to say<em>  
><em>That I had the best day with you today...<em>

I finished singing and sighed. I already missed my mum. I heard a rustling in the tree and saw a figure land in front of me. I realised in horror, that someone had been there the whole time. I blushed and quickly packed my guitar in its case and my book in my pocket. I was about to make a run for it, when a familiar voice spoke. "Wow, who knew you could sing, Polka"I froze upon hearing that voice. Turning around slowly, I tried to keep my expression neutral. To my dismay I indeed saw the face of the perverted boy from earlier. "What do you want, pervert boy?" I asked rudely.

He looked at me with his crimson eyes showing amusement. "Nothing, I was here first when you came and interrupted my nap with your horrible singing" he said neutrally. I blushed again. "Whatever" I said back at him, attempting to glare darkly at him. I knew the glare had failed when he raised his eyebrow at me. "Good night, pervert boy!" I yelled at him, as I ran off into the darkness, back to my dorm.

* End of flash back *

And here I am now, lying on my bed, thinking about the events of today. I almost cried when I thought about not being able to see my mum again…but I remembered what she said earlier. _'Don't worry, Mikan. We'll see each other again in the future.'_ The words echoed around my head. They made sense. I should just be myself and make friends here. I'll see my mum again eventually, and everything will be okay…at least I hope it will...

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><p><strong>I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my new fanfic. Please review. As I said on my profile, Amnesia was take down for major editing and will be reposted ASAP. Sorry to those who liked it, but trust me, you'll like it even more once I edit it and make it longer. You never know, in a week or so, I might put up more than one chapter for it. Anyway thanks for reading this chapter^^ :)<strong>

**~Singing Alice~**


	2. Chapter 2

**Special thanks to Keyheart for reviewing the first chapter of this story and to PearlyWirly1 and joyce09- for reading the story. Also, thank you to any other readers out there as well. Hope you enjoy this new chapter guys :)  
><strong>

**~Singing Alice~**

**Update on Amnesia: The editing is going well, and it should be up as scheduled, in about a week (to give a date anywhere from the 8th-12th). Sorry for all this inconvenience, people.**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 2<span>**  
><strong>

**Mikan Sakura POV**

I groaned when I heard the beeping of my alarm. It felt like only seconds had passed since I'd fallen asleep. I turned over and stared at the clock. '7:30' it read. I hadn't been able to get to sleep last night until about 3:00am. I kept thinking about my mum, and the academy…like how I was able to get in, why they wouldn't let kids leave at all and why kids kept whispering about 'Alice'. It seemed like this academy was keeping secrets…

I got up and walked over to the bathroom. I opened the door and walked inside- closing the door again behind me. I splashed cold water from the sink over my face, waking myself up. After that, I brushed my teeth. Leaving the bathroom, I walked into my closet this time. I grabbed my uniform off of the rack and got dressed quickly. I was about to leave the closet, when I caught a peek at my appearance in the mirror on the dresser. I gasped loudly. My hair was a 'rat's nest' as my mum liked to call it. It was sticking up all over the place and there were knots and tangles all through it.

After I had finally gotten my hair to sit flat, I looked at my appearance in the mirror once again. I smiled. _Much better, _I thought happily. I left my hair out and added a pretty blue butterfly hairclip on each side, to keep my hair out of my face. I then applied a faint bit of blue eye shadow and some brown mascara- making it look as natural as possible. I added a light pink tint to my cheeks with some blush and some shimmery lip gloss. I then grinned at my reflection. _Now it's perfect._

Deciding to play one of my old songs, I grabbed my guitar and flopped onto my bed. Strumming the chords, I started singing…

**I Won't Apologise- Selena Gomez**

_You had me to get her.  
>And here, I thought it was me.<br>I was changin', arrangin' my life to fit your lies.  
>It's all said and all done.<br>I gave it all for the long run.  
>Can she say the same thing?<br>I guess this is good-bye and good luck.  
>(I can't be what you want me to be.)<em>

_I'm sorry for changing._  
><em>I'm sorry it had to be this way.<em>  
><em>Believe me; it's easier just to pretend.<em>  
><em>But, I won't apologize for who I am.<em>

_No, no._

_Remember the time when you said you were out with your best friend._  
><em>But it wasn't the best friend that you knew I thought you meant and<em>  
><em>I used to accept it, I didn't know I could be free.<em>  
><em>But I am, and I won't go back 'cause you so don't deserve me.<em>  
><em>(I don't even want to be her.)<em>

_I'm sorry for changing._  
><em>I'm sorry it had to be this way.<em>  
><em>Believe me; it's easier just to pretend.<em>  
><em>But, I won't apologize for who I am.<em>

_I thank you for this hopeless war_  
><em>'cause through the pain I am stronger than before.<em>  
><em>Now I'm more.<em>  
><em>I don't need you anymore.<em>  
><em>I'm sorry.<em>  
><em>(Listen close I won't say this again.)<em>

_I'm sorry for changing._  
><em>I'm sorry it had to be this way.<em>  
><em>Believe me; it's easier just to pretend.<em>  
><em>But, I won't apologize for who I am.<em>

_I'm sorry for changing._  
><em>I'm sorry it isn't like it was.<em>  
><em>Believe me; it's easier just to pretend.<em>  
><em>But, I won't apologize,<em>  
><em>Why should I apologize,<em>  
><em>No, I won't apologize for who I am…<em>

I strummed the final chord and looked down at my guitar. I loved singing so much; I wished I could just sit here and practise forever. Then I looked over at the clock and saw the time. _Crap_, I cursed in my head. _It's already 8:53…_

My time had disappeared so fast, but I didn't have time to think about it, as I shoved my guitar in its case- forgetting to put it back in the closet- and grabbed my bag. I was relieved that I had the same subjects today as I had yesterday, at least I didn't have to look for anything. I ran out my door and headed towards homeroom.

I was almost at home-room when I ran into something solid, just like yesterday. I realised it must have been another person, and I muttered a brief "sorry", before getting up to walk into my classroom.

"So today it's strawberries, huh?" I heard the familiar voice say. I felt blood rush to my cheeks as I realised who the voice belonged to. I turned around with the darkest glare on my face. My fist was clenched so tight, I swear I drew blood. "You…You…" I could feel my anger swirling up inside. He walked over to me and leaned his face in close to mine. It was almost like he was going to kiss me. I internally gagged- this guy was so full of himself.

So, letting my anger take over me, I moved my lips closer to his ear and…"PERVERT!" I yelled into it. I could see he was shocked. _Humph, I hope he learned his lesson._ I thought as I resisted the urge to slap him across the face and instead stalked angrily into the classroom. I took my seat, not even noticing the whispers coming from my classmates.

**Natsume Hyuuga POV**

I decided I didn't want to attend the gay Narumi-sensei's classes this morning, and left the classroom. I rounded the corner to head towards the dorms when I slammed into something solid. I fell onto the ground. I was about to say something rude when I looked up and saw Polka. I noticed that her underwear was showing- _Huh? Strawberries? Seriously, how childish can this girl get?_

I saw her about to leave. "So today it's strawberries, huh?" I called after her. I could see her shake with visible anger and I had to keep myself from laughing. She clenched her fist and turned around to face me. "You…you…" she said darkly. I resisted the urge to mock her. I was curious however, so I walked over to her and leant my face closer to hers, wanting to see her reaction. Her expression changed, but I couldn't read her emotion as she moved her lips closer to my ear and…

"PERVERT!" The loud scream echoed through my head. She raised her hand slightly, but then it dropped back to her side and she stalked angrily into the classroom, while I just stood there shocked. _She sure is interesting…_He thought, after recovering from the shout. He was intrigued by this girl. Any other one of the girls in my class would have swooned as soon as I had moved in close to their face- actually they probably would have fainted. Instead she broke my ear drums.

It was then I did something, I never thought I'd do… I willingly turned around and walked back into the classroom- I was going to Narumi-sensei's class.

**Mikan Sakura POV**

*After Class *

I still hadn't made any friends, so I decided to try harder tomorrow. I packed up my books into my bag and I was about to leave, when I noticed someone else was still in the classroom. She had short raven hair and was tinkering with some metal thing on the desk in front of her. _Well…here goes nothing…_ I walked up to her and cleared my throat. She didn't even look up. I tried again- still no response. "Um, hello, I'm Mikan Sakura. It's nice to meet you". The girl looked up at my words. It was then I saw a pair of very familiar deep purple eyes.

"H-H-Hotaru" I said faintly, trying not to cry but failing. I tried to hug her, but… BAKA! BAKA! BAKA! I rubbed the spot on my head she had hit with her baka gun. I didn't really mind though. Here was Hotaru- my childhood friend- who I never thought I'd see again, standing right in front of me.

* Flashback *

"B-But H-Hotaru, why d-do you ne-need to go?" I said in-between sobs. She walked up closer to me and wiped my tears away with her fingers. "Baka, don't worry. We'll see each other again someday". We hugged tightly. "Hot-Hotaru, please, please don't go" I cried into her hair. "Baka, I have to. Well, I'll see you then" and she was driven off in a black limousine.

She left me there crying and never once looked back or waved. Mum had been panicking, no knowing where I was. I hadn't gone home that night- just stayed in that same spot Hotaru left me in. Mum found me later that night, after frantically searching for me. She pulled me up out of the grass and took me home. I cried myself to sleep that night, and every night after for the next six weeks.

* End of Flashback *

I had been eight when that happened and I had written letters to her for two years after- with no replies. I had given up, as I thought she'd forgotten about me. "Hotaru, why didn't you reply to any of my letters?" I said after I finished sobbing. "Who would reply to one of your stupid letters?" she replied coldly. I knew she didn't mean it. It was just the way she was. "Hotaru, I missed you. C-Can I hug you?" I asked. I knew she'd say no.

That's why it surprised me when she got up and hugged me tightly. "H-Hotaru?" I questioned, unsure of what had caused this sudden change of attitude. "I missed you too, baka" she replied and that was all it took for me to be happy. We stayed hugging for quite a while when she said she had to go to her room to work on her inventions. Even when she had lived near us, Hotaru was always making some weird thing. That was what she loved to do. "Can I come too?" I asked carefully. "No" she replied bluntly. "W-W-Why?" "Because you'll probably break something. I'll come by your room later. See you." She walked out of the classroom.

I smiled to myself. Hotaru never forgot me. _But why did she never reply to any of your letters then…_ I pushed that evil thought out of my head. Hotaru probably had a reason for that- I could ask her later. I picked my bag up and walked happily back to my room.

I walked through my door and locked it behind me. I decided to play another song- I chose another old one…

**Change- Taylor Swift**

_And it's a sad picture, the final blow hits you  
>Somebody else gets what you wanted again and<br>You know it's all the same, another time and place  
>Repeating history and you're getting sick of it<br>But I believe in whatever you do  
>And I'll do anything to see it through<em>

_Because these things will change_  
><em>Can you feel it now?<em>  
><em>These walls that they put up to hold us back will fall down<em>  
><em>this revolution, the time will come<em>  
><em>for us to finally win<em>  
><em>and we'll sing hallelujah, we'll sing hallelujah<em>

_So we've been outnumbered  
>Raided and now cornered<br>It's hard to fight when the fight ain't fair  
>We're getting stronger now<br>Find things they never found  
>They might be bigger<br>But we're faster and never scared  
>You can walk away, say we don't need this<br>But there's something in your eyes  
>Says we can beat this<em>

_Because these things will change_  
><em>Can you feel it now?<em>  
><em>These walls that they put up to hold us back will fall down<em>  
><em>This revolution, the time will come<em>  
><em>For us to finally win<em>  
><em>And we'll sing hallelujah, well sing hallelujah<em>

_Tonight we stand, get off our knees_  
><em>Fight for what we've worked for all these years<em>  
><em>And the battle was long, it's the fight of our lives<em>  
><em>But we'll stand up champions tonight<em>

_It was the night things changed_  
><em>Can you see it now?<em>  
><em>These walls that they put up to hold us back fell down<em>  
><em>It's a revolution, throw your hands up<em>  
><em>Cause we never gave in<em>  
><em>and we sang hallelujah, we sang hallelujah<em>  
><em>Hallelujah<em>

I put my guitar back in the closet, failing to notice the sticky note that had fallen off of the case onto the floor. I flopped onto my bed after that, waiting for Hotaru. I don't know how long I was lying there until I heard a knock on the door. I got up and opened the door. "Hota-" I looked at the person- wait people- outside my door. Neither were Hotaru.

Instead I saw two girls, one with long, pink wavy hair and light blue eyes. The other one had long, straight blue hair with dark blue eyes. They looked like twins actually. "Um, hi, I'm Anna Umenomiya and this is my friend Nonoko- we thought we'd come and welcome you to the academy." The pink haired girl said nervously- Anna she said her name was. The blue haired girl- Nonoko- smiled brightly. "I'm Nonoko Ogasawara. Nice to meet you" she put her hand out and I shook it. "Hi guys, I'm Mikan Sakura- you can call me Mikan if you want. Do you wanna come inside?" I asked politely. I was going to make new friends by the sounds of it.

They both looked at each other, and then giggled. "You can call us Anna and Nonoko and-" Anna finished, and Nonoko continued, "of course we'd like to come in, Mikan-chan". _Wow, these two really are like even finish each other's sentences._ I thought in awe. Of course, they weren't twins- their last names were different.

I opened the door and let them inside. "Thanks for coming you guys, it's really nice of you" I said. I was really happy that these girls had actually been bothered to come and welcome me. They sat on my bed and both giggled again. "I'll go and get you guys a drink, would you like anything particular". "Just water" they both said at the same time. It was now my turn to giggle. "Okay, I'll be back in a minute" I said still smiling.

I went into the kitchen and got two glasses from the shelf above me. I filled them with some water and walked back to where they were sitting, handing them each a glass. "Thanks" they both said to me, once again at the same time. "You know, you guys are a lot like twins" I informed them. "We get that a lot" replied Nonoko. "Yeah, we do. We are just really good friends, that's all" added Anna.

"Oh! I know! How about we get to know each other by going to central town! I'm sure you'd love it there Mikan-chan!" Nonoko piped up. "Central town…what's that?" I asked curiously. I'd never heard of this before. "Oh, you don't know?" I shook my head "Well, central town is a massive shopping town in the middle of our school. You can buy all sorts of things there." Anna explained. _Whoa…that sounds cool... _

"I'd love to go you guys!" I said excitedly. "Really!" they said at the same time "How about tomorrow afternoon then?" Anna asked, as excited I was. "Sounds perfect" I replied happily. "Well, me and Anna have to go now sorry" Nonoko said dejectedly. "That's okay; I'll talk to you guys tomorrow then?" "Yup, see you Mikan-chan" Anna said. "See you" Nonoko added. They got up to leave and I went to open the door for them, when I tripped and fell on my face. Both girls immediately turned back and helped me up. That was when I noticed what I tripped on- a sticky note. Both of the girls were still there so I put it in my pocket and walked them to the door. We said our goodbyes and as soon as they were gone, I pulled the note back out of my pocket. It read:

'_You should put your guitar away properly next time. If you want your song book back, bring your guitar and yourself to the Sakura tree at midnight tonight.'_

_Wait…my song book…?_ I looked around my room for it. The bastard, whoever it was, really did take it. I looked for a name on the note, but there was none. _Who could it be...Why would they want my song book…and how on earth did they get into my room in the first place…Great, now there are more mysteries for me to figure out._

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading the second chapter of 'Music &amp; Magic'. I hope you enjoyed it. Please review~ :D<strong>

**~Singing Alice~**_  
><em>


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, sorry for the long wait on this chapter. I was in such a hurry to get this to you guys, it might not be the best, but it's better than nothing right? Please don't kill me for making you wait so long. Anyway, enjoy the chapter~!**

**~Singing Alice~**

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><p><span>Chapter 3<span>**  
><strong>

**Hotaru Imai POV**

I really had been telling the truth when I told Mikan I had missed her. I hope she believed me. Stupid academy- this is their entire fault. Don't believe me? I'll prove it.

* Flashback *

I walked with the masked guy- Persona, I think- until we arrived at the principals' office. He then left and one of the people standing outside the door led me in.

"Welcome to Alice Academy, Hotaru Imai. I take it you know why you're here?" The shortie asked. _Is this guy really that big an idiot? Of course I know why I'm here._ I didn't answer.

"Well?" he said, impatiently. "No I don't. That's why I ran away all these years." I said sarcastically- still keeping emotions off of my face. "What sort of idiot did they put in charge of this school?" I asked myself softly, as an afterthought.

"Hmm, even with that attitude, your Alice is too good to give up. However, due to your past habits of running away, and your attitude- proved by the example you just showed me, we are banning you from any contact with the outside world."

_What? I thought kids were allowed to at least send letters home…what sort of place is this?_

I was then led to the class where I was introduced by Narumi-sensei. I took my seat and showed no emotion at all. Emotion is only showing weakness. I only gave half of my attention to any of the classes that day- thinking about this place I had been taken too.

_This place is more like a prison then a school…It has so many secrets too…I wish I'd never been caught- correction. I wish I never had an Alice. Then…it wouldn't matter…_

*End of Flashback *

Over the next two years I had gotten countless letters from Mikan. Each letter I received from her made me feel worse and worse that I couldn't reply. However, I was heartbroken when she sent her last one…

_Dear Hotaru,_

_I'm sorry for annoying you with all these letters- it's obvious you've forgotten me. I hope you're enjoying it at that school and that you're having fun with your new friends. If you ever decide that you want to be friends with me again, reply and we'll talk. I will always think of you as a friend, but I suppose there's nothing I can do if you don't think of me as one. I won't send you anymore letters after this unless you reply. I'll see you around…maybe._

_Love from,_

_Mikan Sakura xxoo_

I had cried that day. Of course, I didn't let anyone see me crying, but I did. I didn't go to any of my classes either. My two friends Anna and Nonoko had come to see if I was okay, but I got rid of them and anyone else who came by saying I was working on a new invention.

_I wonder why it has to be like this. I suppose Alices have to be kept safe from people who might want to use them for their own benefit, but we should still be able to have contact with our families. Whatever the reason, it is obvious that this academy has a lot of secrets- and I still haven't figured any of them out._ After pondering over this for quite some time, I looked up at the clock in my lab.

"Shoot." I muttered. I had forgotten about Mikan. I was heading along the corridor to her room, when I saw Anna and Nonoko coming from her room with big grins on their faces.

_So they ended up going to welcome her, huh. I'm glad she's making friends here._ As she was best friends with the 'twins' she had heard them talking this morning about whether or not to welcome the new girl, although she hadn't paid much attention. She was too shocked by the fact that Mikan was here.

_Why did they let her in anyway…and why aren't we allowed to mention Alices to her…does she even have one?_ I wondered. As I was thinking, Anna and Nonoko had already left and Mikan was back inside her room. I walked over and knocked on the door.

**Mikan Sakura POV**

_Great,__ now there are more mysteries for me to figure out._

I paced around my room thinking hard about who could have put the sticky note there. I eventually sighed in defeat and flopped onto my couch. _What am I supposed to do now? Should I go or…_ My train of thoughts was halted by a sudden knock at the door. _Who could that be…?_ I wondered.

I got up off of the sofa and walked over to the door. I opened it and found myself staring into a pair of annoyed-looking amethyst eyes. I'd forgotten about Hotaru. "Took long enough" my best friend said emotionlessly. She walked in and sat on my bed. "Mikan…do you know how you got into this school?"

_What? Why is she asking that?_ I thought to myself. "Actually, no, I have no idea how I got in. You know me, Hotaru. I'm not exactly the best academically…my only strong points are sport and music."

I gave a nervous giggle. Her look was piercing, as though she could see through me. Maybe she could. This IS Hotaru I'm talking about- one of the smartest people I know.

While I was thinking, I hadn't noticed that Hotaru had taken out a metal, phone-shaped item out of what seemed like thin air.

"What is that?" I asked out of curiosity. Of course, she ignored me and kept fiddling with the small device.

After about five minutes of silence and her fiddling, she pointed the device towards me and it emitted a loud beeping. Hotaru gave a frown and pressed another button. I was starting to get really annoyed.

"Hotaru, what is that?" I asked again. "It's none of your business." She replied in her normal monotone voice. I sighed. There is no reasoning with Hotaru.

I saw Hotaru give another frown. "What?" I asked her. She almost never showed this much emotion. "Mikan…has anything strange happened recently?" she inquired.

I thought about it for a minute- then I remembered the note. "Well, there was one thing…" I started explaining about the note I'd found.

"Looks like you'll have to go. It's the only way we'll find out who it was and the only way for you to get your guitar back." Hotaru replied, as casually as if she was conversing with Mikan about the weather.

She had said so casually, what I'd been thinking so frantically about. "What?" I asked, confused. "How could I just go? I mean, like you said, we have no idea who this could be. It could be some weirdo for all we know." She blinked.

"It won't matter" she replied "you weren't thinking that I'd let you go without me there, were you?" she said, in a mock-hurt tone. I immediately felt silly for thinking that Hotaru wouldn't have had a plan. "So, let's figure out a way to keep you out of trouble" and with that the long night began.

I looked over at the clock. 11:45. Fifteen minutes until I was supposed to be at the Sakura tree. Hotaru were in my room, both with sleeping bags- and we had finished our planning. I had two different clips in my hair now. This was only because the new ones were much better for our plan. The one on my left had a microphone in it and the one on my right had a mini camera.

This way, Hotaru could keep an eye on me. I also had my own baka gun- the older one of course, as Hotaru was never willing to give away her best stuff unless she got a lot in return.

The plan was simple; I was going to walk down to the tree with my guitar in hand. She would hide in one of her inventions nearby. If the person was threatening, she would help me get out of there. The plan really was simple. But I was still freaked out by all this. _Who would sneak into my room, just to steal my songbook...It just doesn't make any sense. _

With that thought in my head, I opened the window, and with a nod from the still-emotionless Hotaru, I swung out the window onto a nearby branch.

Holding it with two hands, I carefully placed my weight on the branch below. When I made sure that it wouldn't snap, I balanced on it, and then jumped off onto the ground.

_Wow, I didn't fall this time,_ I thought as I walked towards the Sakura trees

**Natsume Hyuuga POV**

I had been bored, what more can I say. That's what had prompted me to follow that idiot around. At least, that's what I told myself.

*Flashback*

(A/N: This is a flash back to Mikan's first day at the school.)

"Okay, class dismissed" said the last stupid teacher for the day. I still had my manga over my face, but from my peripherals I could just see the strange girl that was sitting next to me.

She picked her bag up off the ground and headed for the door. That was when I decided I may as well follow her- just because I had nothing better to do.

As I stood up to leave I saw my best friend, Ruka, give a questioning glance. I ignored it- I'd explain to him later. He seemed to understand and continued talking to Koko, another friend.

Polka had already left the classroom, but it wasn't like I could run after her without being seen, so I walked casually around the door- like I normally would after class had finished. However, normally I wouldn't attend classes.

I walked around the school as the girl went back to her dorm. She made no stops on the way, so it was a pretty boring trip. When she arrived at her room, I stopped behind a nearby drinking fountain. _Polka dot's room is pretty close to…_I stopped in my thoughts. _That person_ is not important right now.

Polka seemed to be finished in her room and walked out with a white case. She only gave the door a soft push behind her, so I decided to take a look inside her room.

I caught the door just before it closed, and I crept inside the room. _Her room's pretty normal, _I thought to myself as I surveyed my surroundings.

I was about ready to leave and go back to my own dorm, when I heard light footsteps nearing the door. My instincts kicked in and I leapt under polka dots' desk. Obviously, I was expecting it to be Polka who had opened the door, but who I saw was DEFINITELY not Polka.

It was my most hated student here at the academy. Azura Amai, possessor of a rare and extremely powerful Alice. She was even more dangerous than I was, so the academy tried to stay on her good side. From day one, however, I had sensed something wrong with her. Something that was almost…_evil_.

_But WHY is she in Polka's room?_ I asked myself silently; watching as Azura snuck into Polka's closet and took out a small book. A normal person probably wouldn't have been able to read the writing on the book cover from the distance, but I could. I was confused.

_Why would she steal a songbook…_I thought about it. At that moment, I felt a cold wave of dread wash over me. _Whatever she plans to do, it probably isn't something good._

I watched silently, as Azura left the room. As soon as she did I ran to the window and practically flew out of it, heading off to find Polka before something happened.

I had seen her heading towards the grounds earlier, and sure enough, as I arrived closer I could hear the strumming of a guitar, and…wait. _Is that her voice?_ I had to be sure, so I started moving towards the sound.

When I arrived closer I realised the amazing voice was indeed Polka's and that she was not just sitting at a tree. She was sitting at my Sakura tree. Out of all the trees she could have picked to sit at, she had picked mine.

It wasn't just that though. She was so beautiful sitting there under the tree, playing her guitar, singing. Her wavy chestnut hair moved gently with the wind.

I silently crept around to the back of the tree and climbed up.

I looked down to make sure she hadn't noticed me. To my relief, she was still strumming the guitar and singing in that beautiful voice. It was so calming and peaceful…it was stunning. I honestly didn't think ANYONE could sing like that.

She finished the song and I heard her sigh. _No point just standing here may as well make my presence known._

I casually leapt off of the branch I had been sitting on and landed right in front of Polka. Her face had gone bright red- the colour of a tomato- and she was quickly packing up her guitar. And then I saw something.

_The same songbook…how is that possib-_ I stopped mid thought. _Azura's Alice..._ I realised with a start that Azura must have copied it earlier and the one Mikan has must be the copy. _If I'm right…the copy will disappear in a few hours...but why did Azura bother? Unless she's being watched by-…_

I stopped thinking down that path and turned my attention back to Mikan. I couldn't stop one of my usual snarky comments from slipping out of my stupid mouth.

"Wow, who knew you could sing Polka" I said to her. She had just been getting ready to leave the tree when I spoke and she froze. She then slowly pivoted and I could see her struggle to keep her anger under check.

"What do you want, pervert boy?" she asked me rudely. It was expected though. My remark wasn't exactly nice either. Once again I couldn't help myself as I decided to lie.

"Nothing, I was here first when you came and interrupted my nap with your horrible singing" I said, trying not to show emotion. Her face which had just returned to its normal rosy pink, suddenly returned to its former shade of tomato red.

"Whatever" she replied and glared weakly at me. I raised my eyebrow in response, and I saw her pull he guitar case over her shoulder.

Before I could react, she ran off into the dark of the night and yelled behind her "Good night, pervert boy!"

I could have followed her if I wanted, but I decided to leave it and instead I headed back to my dorm for the night. _I have to find out why Azura's interested in Polka…_

* End of flashback *

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><p><strong>So, did you like that chapter? Whether you did or didn't, please review~! I'd love to hear your feedback either way. Oh and did you like my surprise new character? :D<br>**

**~Singing Alice~**


	4. Chapter 4

***Avoids being hit on the head by an oversized hammer* I'm so so so so so sorry guys, it's taken me forever to update. Please forgive me, if any of you are even still bothering to check if I've updated T.T Please enjoy this next chapter and I'll try to get the next one done for you guys as well, because I need to apologize and this chapter isn't as long as my others .**

Disclaimer**: **I do not own Gakuen Alice or any rights. Gakuen Alice belongs completely to Higuchi Tachibana-sama (Seriously, if I owned it, it wouldn't be anywhere near as good as it is)

Note**: **

'…' = thoughts

"…" = speech

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 4<span>

**Mikan Sakura POV**

My guitar case over my shoulder, I leapt out the window and onto the branch outside (very ungracefully). I tried to gently lower myself onto the next branch but, like always, I fell down and onto the thankfully soft, dew-covered grass below.

With less scrapes then I'd normally have, I started heading towards the sakura tree, hoping that mine and Hotaru's plan would work. It wasn't really I plan I suppose, it was more of a go-with-the-flow and hope for the best kind of plan. If anything went wrong she would be there to back me up- but to know that was all I needed to be reassured, because I knew Hotaru definitely wouldn't let me down.

I finally arrived at the Sakura tree, and set my guitar case down, looking for the person. They didn't seem to have arrived, so I checked my watch. It read midnight exactly. My eyes scanned the area again, and just as I turned to the opposite way to check in the direction of the forest, I heard the audible sound of a branch snapping.

Turning back towards the school quickly I saw a dark figure heading towards me. Their hand lifted and I stiffened before realising they were waving. "You must be Mikan Sakura, I'm Azura Amai. Pleased to meet you" the girl held her hand out for me to shake, but I took a step back instead, not quite sure about this girl.

Now she was closer I could see she was wearing a blue school uniform; the colour for middle schoolers. 'That must be why I didn't recognise her…' I thought to myself. Her hair was light brown, fully straight and reached to her lower back. Her eyes were a light rose pink, and she had a headband with a pink bow on top of her head, probably to keep any loose bits of hair out of her face.

As I stepped back, Azura stepped forward and forcefully grabbed my hand, shaking it, before letting go of it. I let my hand drop back to my side as I stared at the girl with a mixture of shock, confusion and anger. "You…you stole-!" she cut me off with a soft tinkling laugh.

"I didn't steal anything. I _borrowed_ this" she held her hand up high; in it was one of my most prized possessions, my songbook (A/N: The other is her guitar XD). "Give it back!" I yelled, trying to snatch the book out of Azura's hand. "All in due time" she replied with an annoyingly sweet smile on her face, as she hid the book behind her back.

"First, I need to talk to you _Sakura-_san". The tone she had used to say my name made me cringe a bit, but nonetheless, I sat down under the tree with her and decided to hear her out. I needed my song book back, so I thought I may as well.

"I will give you your songbook back…but you have to agree to a few things first; just hear me out, ok?"

**Hotaru Imai POV**

I stared closely at the monitors in front of me. I had never seen this girl before, so I took out my pocket identifier and ran her photo against all the students at the school until I found a match. "Azura Amai…" I muttered to myself "15…possessor of the copying and...Crap!" I exclaimed, hoping what my screen read was wrong.

But I knew it wasn't. My data wasn't wrong, because I had copied it from the actual school files. But how I had missed this major fact, was unbelievable. I stuffed my baka gun in my pocket and grabbed my spying kit. After pulling out one of the 'Invisibility Patches' and sticking it on my leg, I climbed out through the window, the same way Mikan had and headed towards the tree.

I had left my computer on in my room, because I had been too worried about Mikan to turn it off. The words that had been written on the screen ran through my head, as I neared the tree that was annoyingly far away from the school buildings.

'Possessor of the Copying and Poison Alice…Dangerous Abilities Class...' Hotaru _did_ know this girl after all. _Everyone_ knew this girl. But it was very rare to see her in classes or even in the corridors, as she would usually avoid contact with people. Everyone avoided Azura, and they had a good reason too…

'Detailed Alice Descriptions:

Poison Alice: Able to create any kind of poison with minimal ingredients. Can also absorb poisons and pass them on by touching someone'

'But _why_ would she want to talk to Mikan…'

**Natsume Hyuuga POV**

I looked down and saw Polka approaching the tree, looking pretty nervous. I shook my head at the idiot. I hadn't really expected her to show up. She has no clue about this person and she still showed up…that songbook must be really important to her.

I watched as Azura approached her, and instantly felt a shiver run down my spine. I wasn't scared of her or anything; it's just the aura she gives off is so…_evil_. "You must be Mikan Sakura, I'm Azura Amai. Pleased to meet you" she said to Polka, holding her hand out.

I pleaded inside my head for her not to shake Azura's hand, and sighed with relief when instead she took a step back. But that relief didn't last long, as Azura forcibly lifted Polka's hand from her side and shook it, with a smile spread across her face.

I could see the confusion and anger on Polka's face and it was probably reflected on mine, even though I had no real reason to feel angry. 'Azura…she better not have…' I thought to myself. I watched as Azura told Polka to sit down beside her, and decided just to listen for now…it's not like I really cared what happened to Polka anyway.

**Mikan Sakura POV**

(A/N: Yeah, I know I might be changing POV a little too much, but it's just so you all know what's going on :P If you don't like it, you don't have to read it I suppose xD)

"W-what?" I replied. "You heard me" she replied, her voice still fake-sweet. "Now, are you prepared to answer my question?" she asked. I felt a shiver run down my spine, but I nodded, wondering what on earth she wanted to ask me so badly.

"Mikan Sakura, do you know what your Alice is?" she asked, looking straight at me. "Alice?" I asked curious, and watched as her expression turned to one of amusement. "So it is as they say. There is one at this school who does not even know what Alice means. You best be careful Mikan Sakura. One wrong step, and who knows what might happen to a naive girl such as you. Here" she tossed Mikan's songbook into her lap.

"I have no more use for that stupid thing anyway" she said coldly as she stood up. "I advise you watch who you talk to, and don't attract too much attention" she said, and walked away in the direction of the dorms.

I shivered involuntarily, and hugged my songbook to my chest, wondering what was going on. 'This academy is turning out to be such a strange place…'

As I was pondering over the words Azura had said to me, I could barely make out a figure running towards me in the dark. "Hotaru…"I said softly, forgetting that she had heard everything. As she came into view, I could make out the slight signs of worry on her face.

Hotaru sat down beside me, and I pulled out my guitar. I needed to do something to relax myself, and I always found singing the best thing. As I began to strum the chords, I could have sworn I saw Hotaru smile slightly out of the corner of my eye.

_**Invisible- Taylor Swift**_

_She can't see the way your eyes  
>Light up when you smile<br>She'll never notice how you stop and stare whenever she walks by  
>And you can't see me wantin' you the way you want her<br>But you are everything to me_

_[Chorus:] __  
>I just wanna show you<br>She don't even know you  
>She's never gonna love you like I want to<br>And you just see right through me  
>If you only knew me<br>We could be a beautiful  
>Miracle,<br>Unbelievable  
>Instead I'm just invisible.<em>

_There's a fire inside of you_  
><em>That can't help but shine through<em>  
><em>She's never gonna see the light no matter what you do<em>  
><em>And all I think about is how to make you think of me<em>  
><em>And everything that we could be<em>

_[Chorus]_

_Like shadows in a faded light_  
><em>Oh, we're invisible<em>  
><em>I just wanna open your eyes<em>  
><em>And make you realize<em>

_I just wanna show you_  
><em>She don't even know you<em>  
><em>Baby, let me love you<em>  
><em>Let me want you<em>  
><em>You just see right through me<em>  
><em>But if you only knew me<em>  
><em>We could be a beautiful<em>  
><em>Miracle,<em>  
><em>Unbelievable<em>  
><em>Instead I'm just invisible<em>

_She can't see the way your eyes light up when you smile_

I stopped playing and packed my guitar away, smiling to myself. Singing never failed to cheer me up. Never. I closed my guitar case and clicked the lid shut. Placing it gently on the grass beside me, I noticed Hotaru staring at me.

"Um, what?" I asked her. She just shrugged and stood up. "I'm going to sleep. See you later, baka." And with that, she left and headed back to the dorms. Not wanting to be left behind, I slung my guitar over my shoulder again and picked up my songbook before running after her. "Hotaru! You meanie!" I shouted out, before I realised everyone was sleeping.

I covered my mouth with my hands, as Hotaru looked back at me smirking. "Told you. You really are a baka" but she slowed down after that, and let me walk with her to our rooms.

We walked in silence, but it was a comfortable one. That was until I remembered what had happened earlier. "Hey, Hotaru…"I trailed off. "Hm?" "What's an 'Alice'?" I asked, all of a sudden really curious. "How would I know stupid?" she replied, her face blank as usual.

I stared at her as she walked past the door to my room, headed for her own. "Good night, baka" she said softly, turning her head to glance at me before rounding the corner out of sight. I smiled to myself; glad that I had an awesome friend like Hotaru, and swung the door to my room open, walking in. I put my guitar back in its usual place, and went to put my songbook under my pillow for safekeeping. As I lifted up my pillow however, I noticed a white envelope sticking out from underneath. On the front it read 'Mikan' with slightly messy, but still legible, handwriting.

Next to it was sitting a small pouch, with a ribbon tied around the top. I placed both on my side table and stuffed my songbook under my pillow, before climbing under my sheets in my bed. I decided I would read what was inside the envelope when I woke up in the morning, and the pouch could wait until then as well. I have had enough surprises for one day.

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><p><strong>Once again, I'm really sorry guys...I can't even promise when the next chapter will be up, but I promise I'll make it really good just for my readers, ok? :) I hope you liked this chapter, and even if you didn't, there's a review button below and I'd love it if you'd review...(even though I don't deserve reviews after how long I've made everyone wait T.T)<strong>

**~Singing Alice~**


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